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Heidi + Seal
Say Goodbye

I remember reading a little blurb in a magazine. It said that Heidi Klum and Seal went back to the same place they got married to renew their vows every year. I thought it was ultra-romantic and it inspired us to do something similar for our two year anniversary.

I guess in a way I idealized them. I admired that their love transcended racial boundaries. And in the divorce infested world of Hollywood, they appeared to be doing something different. I had high hopes they’d be able to beat the odds.

While getting ready for work yesterday, I got a text from Vitaliy who is away at a conference. This is what it read, “Heidi Klum is getting a divorce. Sad day for marriage after 7 years.” I sat with my morning cup of tea and wanted to cry. There goes another one, I thought. Being a child of divorce myself, I am well aware of the pain this entire family is about to enter into.

I was equally devastated because I’m a wife myself. A wife trying to keep her marriage rooted in love, sacrifice and commitment. And every time someone gets a divorce, it’s an affront to marriage, even my own. It’s like another announcement is blasted over the intercom of life saying, “If it’s not working, it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s not going to get better. Divorce isn’t that big of a deal.” We all hear the lies and sometimes we’re tempted to believe them.

I am truly saddened for this family. But instead of just sitting with those emotions I let them fuel me to invest in my own marriage and to find ways to invest in those around me. So go kiss the one you love and babysit for a friend! Your relationship needs it and so does their’s.

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Portland:
A Giveaway

This February we’ll be visiting Vitaliy’s grandmother and eating all of her incredible Ukrainian dishes. The last time we went I gained 3 lbs in 3 days. I’m not even kidding. All she did was feed us and demand we take naps. I couldn’t argue with that!

This time around we decided we wanted to get out a bit, see Portland, and meet some locals. But to be honest, we don’t just want to meet you, we want to photograph you. We’re giving away a free portrait session to one lucky couple!

Details

Giveaway starts 5:00 AM PST 01/30/12 and ends 11:59 PM PST 02/07/12. The winner will be announced later that week with plenty of time to surprise their loved one for Valentine’s Day.

Must be available for the session Feb 16 – 19, 2012. Also, nominations are not accepted, you must enter the giveaway yourself.

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter, you may do both to be entered twice.

  1. “Like” Pictilio on Facebook.
  2. Follow Pictilio on Twitter.

Lastly, to confirm your entry, leave a comment; give us your name, the name of your significant other, and one sentence as to why you’re so excited to celebrate your love with a photo date.

Example: My name is Candace Prokopets and my hubby’s name is Vitaliy Prokopets. I want to win this photo date so bad so that I can kiss my hot Ukrainian on camera and share the picture on Facebook so everyone knows how much I love foreigners.

So here’s the thing, we really want to give this to one sweet couple, but we need your help. I don’t think V’s grandma will be able to help us find a couple. But I bet you know someone in Portland, and if you don’t, someone you know does. Guaranteed! It’s a small world and with Facebook and Twitter, it’s even smaller. So can you please help?

Share this on Facebook and/or on Twitter:

Portland couples, celebrate Valentine’s Day with a photo date from Pictilio! Enter here: https://pictilio.com/portland-giveaway

To get the party started, we took a few photos to show how excited we are to meet our new friends in Portland! By the way, we used Oh Happy Day’s DIY for these Zig Zag Streamers. They were so easy to make and they’re so much fun!

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Brian + Shayla: Engaged

Told that there’d be cute guys at church, Shayla came to see if the rumors were true. Not one to get lost in the crowd, Brian noticed her right away. His mind immediately began churning ways that he could approach her.

As luck would have it, one day they found themselves having sat side by side each other. While Brian chatted with friends on one side, he was well aware of Shayla’s presence. He quickly finished his conversation and mustered up the courage to introduce himself. Just as he turned around to say hello, Shayla turned in the opposite direction to chat with friends. Strike one! He gave it another shot on a different day only to find his words stumble out of his mouth. With nowhere for the conversation to go, they simply fell to the ground. Strike two!

The old saying still rings true, third times a charm. Running into each other at another church event, Brian’s determination gave him just the confidence he needed to give it one last shot at talking with Shayla. Who knows if it really would have been his last try, but it doesn’t really matter. Shayla was equally as interested in Brian. They made up for all the conversations they missed out on and from that day forward they were inseparable.

He finally got her and wasn’t ever going to let her go.

trains, rust, portrait, engagement, couple, Portrait of a girl smiling looking at her fiance Couple embracing each other in front of a large industrial rusted wheel Engaged couple walking and laughing togetherCouple looking at each other with & ampersand in the background Couple standing in front of larger wooden doors to the train depot Portrait of a couple in front of the abandoned train cars Couple embracing by the abandoned railroad cars Couple embracing by the abandoned railroad cars
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